2025 Culture Award Finalists

Katie Moran began her career as a teenager, providing photos and words for various music publications. She began touring professionally after high school and left the road for a stint at The Agency Group’s Los Angeles office. In 2009, she returned to her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to join

FAROOK QAIS, pronounced “case,” is a British-born Muslim of South Asian heritage. Having started creating characters from the age of 5, Farook’s stories stem from his life experiences with a common theme of explosive emotive drama. He has written novels, but his strength is writing film and TV

After gaining a degree in Anthropology, Sophie went into television production directing her first documentary for Channel 4 when driving from London to Johannesburg. Having produced an INSET series for BBC Education, she set up wildlife films in Botswana and a BLUE PETER exploration of South Africa

Steve is an active U.S. Diplomat serving in West Africa and term member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has lived longer in West Africa than in the U.S. and enjoys storytelling that juxtaposes worldviews from those two regions. A former strategy consultant, Steve holds a Master of Business

Kate Grant is the founding CEO of Fistula Foundation, a US nonprofit organization. The Foundation has mobilized nearly 70,000 donors in more than 60 countries, raising over $150 million to fund more than 100,000 life transforming surgeries for women injured in childbirth and who are too often

Masha Shukovich (she/they) is a writer, poet, storyteller, folklorist, teacher, independent scholar, and intuitive chef with ancestry and indigenous roots in the Balkans; the Mediterranean; and West, Central, South, and Northeast Asia (Siberia). She is a mother, demigirl, neurodivergent person

I am an LGBT son of Cuban immigrants. My experience of being a double minority (queer & latinX) and son of a national psychologist radio host/author for Latin Americans (Dr. Isabel Gomez-Bassols) taught me to have a high level of compassion for others. My mother has consistently used her national

After gaining a degree in Anthropology, Sophie went into television production directing her first documentary for Channel 4 when driving from London to Johannesburg. Having produced an INSET series for BBC Education, she set up wildlife films in Botswana and a BLUE PETER exploration of South Africa

A.P. Harper writes to make sense of the beautiful mess that is being human. Her work leans into themes of memory, identity, and the quiet spaces we don’t always talk about—but often feel. Whether in novels or short stories, she gravitates toward characters who are lost, searching, or on the edge of

Dehradun-born and naturalized American research scientist, Neerja Raman has now assumed a new avatar as an iconic storyteller. Her fourth book, a memoir, The Chemistry of Belonging: Stories of Inheritance and Upbringing was published in January 2005. Her fiction The House on East Canal Road (2022)

Mae Wiskin is an aspiring fiction writer with a background in global health, design, and brand strategy. Born in Bangkok and bred in Brooklyn, she holds a B.A. in Pre-Law and Comparative Islamic Studies from the University of Washington and an M.A. in Design Studies from Parsons, where she later

Alia Luria's debut novel, Compendium, was published in 2015 and garnered several accolades, including the National Indie Excellence Award in Fantasy, the eLit Gold Medal in Science Fiction / Fantasy, an IPBA Benjamin Franklin silver award, and the Reader's Favorite Silver Medal in Fantasy. It was

Yia Vang is the author of In Yer's Kitchen: Memoir of a Hmong Daughter. This is her debut book which intertwines Eros philosophy with reflections on the journey of two women learning to see and honor each other as individuals through food and stories. Her writing explores universal themes of

I am a Conservation Social Scientist by training, my career dedicated toward understanding the intricate connections between humans and the environment. My professional journey has led to the authorship and publication of numerous technical reports and peer-reviewed journal articles, contributing

Rushani is a passionate storyteller who blends ancient wisdom with modern adventure, bringing the timeless teachings of the Thirukkural to life for young readers. With a background in education and writing and a deep love for Tamil literature, Rushani creates stories that inspire children to think

After gaining a degree in Anthropology, Sophie went into television production directing her first documentary for Channel 4 when driving from London to Johannesburg. Having produced an INSET series for BBC Education, she set up wildlife films in Botswana and a BLUE PETER exploration of South Africa

Roxanne O'Connell has nearly two decades of experience in the nonprofit sector, focusing on economic and climate justice. Her short story was published in Free Spirit Collection: About the Environment, and her poetry has appeared in Wildfire Magazine. She holds a Master’s degree in International

Clifton Brown is an author who draws deeply from his experiences in the U.S. Navy, weaving them into dark, evocative stories that explore the boundaries between light and shadow. With several published short stories and a debut fiction novel, an anthology, and nonfictions, Clifton has found writing

A Sudanese Writer in the Netherlands, weaving limitless worlds with words. Writing isn't just a passion it's a gateway to the magnificent. No borders, no boundaries, just stories waiting to be told.

Willamette Sutta is the pen name of a former academic librarian who has always been more fascinated with the worlds of imagination than the STEM books that she curated. Now she combines her love of information and speculation to create fantastic stories that nevertheless give an air of a world truer

Lily Lu is a budding author of fantasy and science fiction stories.

After gaining a degree in Anthropology, Sophie went into television production directing her first documentary for Channel 4 when driving from London to Johannesburg. Having produced an INSET series for BBC Education, she set up wildlife films in Botswana and a BLUE PETER exploration of South Africa

Ayesha lives in Norway with her husband and two daughters. Originally from Pakistan, she spent several years working in Islamabad as a young mother before relocating to Norway. By day, Ayesha works as a Product Lead, translating between cryptic tech jargon and the ever-evolving needs of business

I am Divsargun Kaur from Amritsar, Punjab. I imagine what a utopian world would look like. My idol is Sikh's Tenth Guru, Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji, and I believe a lot in his teachings.

When I was little, I used to tell my family I wanted to be a writer. As a teenager, I wrote novels in notebooks. I have to confess I was inspired by Mary Higgins Clark's novel. After a long break, during which (among other things) I studied history, Islamic sciences, worked in education, the

I'm an eighteen year old, Irish screenwriter who's passionate about the amazing world of film and writing. Many of my works include an Irish setting, are full of Irish slang and are rooted in it's beautiful culture. Everyday I discover more about writing and film-making as both an art and a craft

An aspiring author/poet dedicated to bridging the gap between generations in immigrant households and bringing light to trauma and abuse often swept under the rug as a taboo topic. My goal is to share my own story focusing on heartfelt and raw reflections to explore the challenges and beauty of

A Sudanese Writer in the Netherlands, weaving limitless worlds with words. Writing isn't just a passion it's a gateway to the magnificent. No borders, no boundaries, just stories waiting to be told.

FAROOK QAIS, pronounced “case,” is a British-born Muslim of South Asian heritage. Having started creating characters from the age of 5, Farook’s stories stem from his life experiences with a common theme of explosive emotive drama. He has written novels, but his strength is writing film and TV

By day, Suzy Shepherd is a solution architect in Brussels, designing systems that actually behave themselves. By night, she is an illustrator and writer, creating stories that most definitely don’t. She has published three children’s books, a short story collection, and another for pre-teens; with